To Serve: Contribute or Conduce

Serve: to contribute or conduce.
This may be double-dipping, but it has been a minute since my last
posting…
As I continued to work on my Americorps application for next year I
kept putting off the ‘Motivational Statement’ section. It posed the
question, “Why do you want to serve?” I’ve been asked this question
in a multitude of ways, and I struggled to find my voice. How could
I spice up the generic, mundane, bland answers I usually
give?
Because it’s what my parents taught me.
Because it’s important to the world.

Because I enjoy giving back to community.
Because I like working with like-minded people
Because I liked the feeling I got after {insert heartwarming
story}...
Because it’s what I learned in Sunday school and Mission
Trips

Instead, this time, I hoped to reveal something about my character,
rather than just focus on the fact that serving is something that I
want. In my case, service is not the end goal. These volunteer
programs that I am participating in are not about my experience.
They are not about me. They are about the communities that I am
serving in. Sure, I’m learning new skills, gaining knowledge, and
earning a little self- gratification, but that is only a small
portion of service. Mine and everyone else's. Although others may
choose to see the physical labor, the change they’ve made, or the
impact that they have created. I would like to view my years of
service as how I am living my life. I serve because I cannot see
another option. It is where I fit, where I am comfortable. Service
should be commonplace. I wonder if that came off as
'motivational'….

"…Service is inherent. It is the foundation by which we should live
our lives. Community should be based on human interaction: a smile,
a handshake, a hug, sharing a meal, building a house, painting a
room, storytelling, sharing experience, and listening. Service is
about both doing and being. Doing the work, making something, and
seeing physical results are important, but service is also about
being present in those moments. At times struggle with the common
definition of service. All too often it is viewed as a gift, a
bestowal. Service can also be more self- gratifying then actually
helpful. The easiest forms of service are the bandages that provide
quick fixes. Service should go deeper, towards the root of the
problem. I am drawn toward the Americorps program because I not
only want to participate in service, I also want to participate in
and form a place in the community where I am serving. It may sound
naïve, and possibly a little far-fetched, but I believe a bond and
connection can be built and maintained in only a year’s time. Right
now, I work with the Young Adult Volunteer Program through the
Presbyterian Church, where we spend one year living in community
and working around our placement sites. After only five months in
Tucson, I already feel connected. Friendships and working
relationships have been formed, as well as an affinity for this
place. I work for the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, with
the Farmers’ Market Consignment Coordinator and the Garden Team.
Both these positions afford me the luxury of meeting new people,
learning new skills, and connecting with the greater Tucson area.
Each week at the Farmers’ markets I see the familiar faces of the
vendors and customers, I bond with those who buy our produce by
asking how they use certain vegetables, especially the local and
native plants. I give recommendations for how to choose certain
produce, if asked. In these quick, weekly interactions, I have
created a mental Rolodex, so the following week I ask how the
recipe turned out or how they enjoyed the duck eggs. With the
garden team I spend time with volunteers and homeowners digging
garden beds in the backyards of Co-op members. We share stories
about gardening mishaps, composting tips, our favorite things to
grow and to eat. We talk about heat, exhaustion, where we are from,
our families, our visions about the world, politics, and even
religion. Service is creating connections. My service is opening my
mind, my eyes, my ears, and my heart to others. I focus on working
in tandem with people, learning alongside my community, growing and
gaining experiences as we participate together. An Americorps year
would provide me with another way to experience a community and
further my life in service."